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Inside adeus: How a UK Legal-Tech Startup Is Modernising Wills and Legacy Planning

October 20, 2025

For nearly two centuries, the way we write, store and manage wills has barely changed, but adeus is on a mission to fix that. In this exclusive interview, co-founder Mark Hedley shares how adeus is pioneering electronic wills, building innovative digital tools, and rethinking the entire legacy planning experience. From advanced, tamper-proof technology that guarantees authenticity to a simple, secure digital vault, adeus is transforming a centuries-old process into something that’s simple, safe, accessible, and affordable.

In a recent interview with Brenda Siri on her show ‘SuccessFactors’, our co-founder Mark Hedley shared the journey that led him to join Nick Adams to create adeus; from decades spent building businesses, teams, and products for some of the world’s largest companies, to taking the leap into entrepreneurship with a mission to modernise one of life’s most important tasks.

Mark reflects on how his and Nick’s corporate experience prepared them to build something meaningful from the ground up, and how a personal experience for one of the co-founders revealed just how outdated the world of wills and legacy planning still is.

Mark talks about the importance of trust and security, and how adeus is tackling long-standing challenges, from preventing contested wills with adeus True Wills, to helping people organise their digital lives and legacies.

He also shares adeus’s vision for the future: a world where wills are no longer one-off documents hidden in a drawer, but living electronic wills that evolve as our lives change.

Watch the full interview to hear Mark’s story, and discover how adeus is building a smarter, simpler way to protect your legacy.

About the Author

Mark Hedley is the co-founder of adeus, a UK legal-tech company focused on modernising will-writing and digital legacy planning. He writes regularly about the upcoming reforms to the Wills Act, the future of electronic wills in England & Wales, and the evolving digital legacy space.

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

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adeus Wills are currently only available for England and Wales, however, you can still create a Digital Vault to track your important accounts, info and files.

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Our Digital Vault lets you securely track assets, documents and online accounts anywhere in the world—so you’re organised no matter where life takes you.

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Is everything you own in England or Wales?

Let’s see where your assets are so we tailor your Will correctly. Rules differ overseas, so we’ll ensure your wishes are honoured wherever they lie.

Is everything you own in England or Wales?

You can still create an adeus Will—but please exclude any immovable property (houses, apartments, land, etc.) outside England & Wales (overseas).

Have you made a Will before?

Knowing if you already have a Will helps us guide you to either update your existing document or start fresh. We’ll make the process quick and clear—whether it’s your first time or your tenth.

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Your digital life matters—and planning for it can save your loved ones a lot of hassle. Let us know if you’d like to include instructions, profiles and other online assets in your legacy plan.

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